Jay Z lost master recordings worth $20m in alleged extortion plot
Several of Jay Z's master recordings valued between $15m and $20m are at the centre of an alleged extortion plot.
Police in New York and Los Angeles have launched an investigation into music producer Chancey Mahan, who allegedly attempted to use the recordings to squeeze money out of his targets.
According to TMZ, Mahan had masters of Jay Z's Roc-A-Fella Records from between 1998 and 2002, which were thought to be lost. The producer apparently offered to sell the records to Jay Z's business partners at Live Nation.
The producer allegedly asked for a $100,000 storage fee for the records before bringing it down to $75,000. Mahan is said to have went to a storage facility in California on Friday (April 18) to seal the deal, but was instead apprehended by police.
Mahan willingly accompanied police to the station for questioning, while the masters were confiscated.
An investigation in Los Angeles is now underway and Jay Z's legal team has filed a complaint for grand larceny in New York.
Meanwhile, amid reports that the rapper may be gearing up for a tour with wife Beyonce, his 'Made in America' festival is set for both Philadelphia and Los Angeles this year.
22nd April 2014 14:39
Michael Jackson nephew on new album XSCAPE:
Michael Jackson's nephew TJ Jackson has weighed in on the announcement that a new album of unreleased material from the 'King of Pop' will be released.
Sony has confirmed that the new album XSCAPE will feature material recorded by Michael throughout his career, with remixes from Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins and others.
7th April 2014 21:00
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25th March 2014 12:52
Rihanna named most streamed female of all time on Spotify
Rihanna has been named the most streamed female artist of all time on Spotify.
The singer has topped the music service's annual female artist streaming count for a second year in a row, and currently holds the all-time record globally.
7th March 2014 12:31
Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion for London show in June
Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion has announced a one-off show in London this summer.
The rapper plays the O2 Brixton Academy on Thursday, June 5, with special guests Wretch 32 & Mistajam.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 7 at 9am priced at £35.
Snoop's last album was 2013's reggae project Reincarnated, produced by Diplo and Major Lazer and released under the name Snoop Lion.
3rd March 2014 12:05
Jet Skier Is Found Guilty For Death Of Usher's Stepson Kile
The man, Jeffrey Hubbard, who had a collision with Usher's stepson, has been found guilty for homicide.
The death of Usher's 11-year-old son Kile in 2012 was a tradgedy, as this could have been avoided from happening. Kile,was hit by a jet ski while being towed by another boat as he was in an inner tube with his dad, at Georgia lake. The collision caused severe brain injuries, and Kile was declared brain dead shortly after the incident.
Hubbard the guy behind the jet ski, has been convicted of homicide, unlawful operation of the jet ski, plus other counts, with total to 5 counts
25th February 2014 15:23
Chris Brown announces release date for new album X
Chris Brown has revealed the release date of his upcoming sixth album.
Brown took to Twitter to announce the news, accompanied with a black and white image of himself over a red X.
25th February 2014 15:17
Dappy: 'N-Dubz reunion will happen this year'
Dappy has revealed he plans to get N-Dubz back together in 2014.
The group, which also features Tulisa Contostavlos and Fazer, announced a hiatus in 2011 in order to focus on solo careers.
Speaking to The Mirror, Dappy announced: "I will do a tour again with N-Dubz. I want it to happen soon – this year.
"I've had three number ones by myself and I want another two – that will make it five. That's my aim to get five under my belt. Tulisa and Fazer are all ready for it, too. We'll all win BRITs."
9th February 2014 19:48
Janelle Monáe announces UK headline tour
Janelle Monáe has announced plans for a new headline tour of the UK.
The singer will play three dates across the country in support of her latest album The Electric Lady.
Monáe will headline Manchester Academy 1 on May 7, before moving on to Birmingham's Institute on May 9.
She will conclude the run with a headline set at London's Brixton Academy on May 9.
Tickets go on sale from 9am on February 7.
Monáe's latets album The Electric Lady spawned the popular tracks 'Q.U.E.E.N' featuring Erykah Badu and 'Primetime' with Miguel.
4th February 2014 19:54
Kanye West, Drake, Bruno Mars to headline Wireless Festival 2014
Kanye West, Drake and Bruno Mars have been confirmed to headline Wireless Festival 2014.
The event, which will now take place in both London and Birmingham, will also see performances from Pharrell Williams, Rudimental and OutKast.
28th January 2014 14:05
Will Smith, Jay Z And Calvin Harris Team Up For New Comedy Show 'Higher'
Get your tellys ready, Calvin Harris, Jay Z and Will Smith are amongst the impressive list of names working on a new EDM comedy series.
It's an unlikely threesome, but we're not complaining. Jay Z, Will Smith and Calvin Harris are said to be hooking up to work on a brand new HBO series together entitled 'Higher'.
Here's what we know so far – it will be a comedy series set in the world of EDM consisting of half an hour shows.
'Trainspotting' author Irvine Welsh is writing the series, with fellow Scotsman Calvin Harris who will help to develop the show.
And lastly, Jay Z and Will Smith are among the executive producers of the show.
It's not the first time Smith and Jay have hooked up, the pair are currently working on a feature film entitled 'Annie' set for a December release.
24th January 2014 13:46
Beyoncé, Jay Z confirmed for Grammys 2014
Beyoncé and Jay Z have been confirmed as performers at this year's Grammy Awards.
The superstars will take to the stage during the first hour of the awards show, which will take place at Los Angeles' Staples Centre on January 26.
The performances were confirmed during a commercial for the 56th annual ceremony on the show's network CBS in the United States.
Beatles stars Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were recently confirmed to perform, along with the likes of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, John Legend, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Lorde.
Daft Punk will also perform with Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers, while Robin Thicke, Metallica, Lang Lang, Pink and Nate Ruess will take to the stage.
Watch the commercial for the Grammy Awards 2014 below:
20th January 2014 13:27
OutKast working on new album, claims former manager Queen Latifah
OutKast are working on a new album, their former manager Queen Latifah has claimed.
The actress and TV producer revealed that the hip-hop duo - made up of Andre 3000 and Big Boi - have started work on a new record.
"They're chilling, they're doing their thing," she told The Howard Stern Show.
"They're doing movies and they're about to work on a new album. I don't manage them anymore."
OutKast recently announced that they will embark on a 40-date festival tour this year, including Coachella and New York's Governors Ball.
OutKast released six albums between 1994 and 2006, the most successful of which was 2003's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which sold over 10 million copies in the US alone.
14th January 2014 14:11
Tupac Shakur musical Holler If Ya Hear Me to open on Broadway
Tupac Shakur's music will be used for a new stage musical.
The rapper's greatest hits will be used for a non-biographical stage production called Holler If Ya Hear Me, which will open at the Palace Theatre in New York this June.
The title of the musical is a reference to Tupac's 1992 single of the same name, which featured samples from Public Enemy, Funkadelic and George Clinton.
The plot of Holler If Ya Hear Me will centre around two friends from the Midwest and their inner city lives.
Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur is producing the show, while Kenny Leon will direct.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Tupac auditioned for the role of a Jedi Master in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, but eventually lost out to Samuel J Jackson.
10th January 2014 15:01
Rihanna reveals Shakira collaboration title, premiere date?
Rihanna has seemingly confirmed details about her upcoming collaboration with Shakira.
The singer retweeted a message posted online that announced the title as 'Can't Remember To Forget' and a premiere date of January 14.
6th January 2014 14:23
Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience best-selling US album in 2013
Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience has been named the best-selling album of 2013 in the US.
The star's comeback record has sold 2.43 million copies since its release in March and was the only album to sell more than 2 million copies in the States last year.
It also means that The 20/20 Experience is the smallest-selling year-end number one since Soundscan began tracking sales data for the Billboard 200 chart back in 1991.
In comparison, Adele's 21 topped the year-end sales chart in 2012 and 2011, with sales of 4.41m and 5.82m copies respectively, reports Billboard.
Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is the year's second best-seller in the States with sales of 1.73m, while Luke Bryan's Crash My Party is at three.
3rd January 2014 19:01
Beyoncé: 'I recorded 80 songs for new album'
Beyoncé has revealed that she recorded "around 80 songs" for her latest album.
The singer recently shocked fans when she released a surprise visual album without any promotion.
She said: "When I started picking the songs that I gravitated towards, because I recorded about 80 songs, it was the songs that were more effortless to me that stuck around."
Speaking in a behind-the-scenes video about the recording process, the popstar also discussed what it was like to collaborate with her husband Jay Z on the track 'Drunk in Love'.
"Jay went in and he started flowing out his verse," she recalled.
"We just kinda had a party. It wasn't about any ego, we weren't trying to make a hit record. We were just having fun, and I think you can hear that in the record."
30th December 2013 14:27
Kanye West sued over 'Bound 2' sample
Kanye West has been sued by a former child star over an allegedly unlicensed sample.
Ricky Spicer - member of 1960s group the Ponderosa Twins Plus One - has claimed his lyrics have been used without permission in West's track 'Bound 2', reports the New York Daily News.
26th December 2013 22:34
N-Dubz Fazer reportedly files for bankruptcy
N-Dubz rapper Fazer has been declared bankrupt, according to court documents.
The rapper, real name Richard Rawson, filed documents with the Insolvency Service earlier this month, BBC News reported.
Court records show the 26-year-old musician applied for bankruptcy on December 4.
Fazer has not made any reference to the matter on his official Twitter feed since reports surfaced yesterday (December 20).
Fazer's N-Dubz bandmates Dappy and Tulisa Contostavlos have also been in the news in recent weeks.
21st December 2013 20:49
Mariah Carey to hit 1 million 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' sales
Mariah Carey is close to hitting a million copies of 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' in the UK.
The 1994 festive classic - which was kept off the number one spot by East 17's 'Stay Another Day' - has sold a total of 985,700 copies to date.
17th December 2013 17:20
Beyoncé sells over 80,000 albums in three hours
Beyoncé's new album has sold over 80,000 copies in just three hours in the US.
The singer's fifth studio record is likely to top the Billboard 200 chart next Wednesday (December 18).
Beyoncé was unexpectedly released online on Thursday (December 12).
The iTunes exclusive visual album has also risen to the top of the download chart in the UK.
The LP contains 14 tracks, each with their own music video and other bonus video content. A physical release is expected before Christmas.
Garth Brooks's latest LP is currently on top in the Billboard 200 midweek charts, and it is estimated to shift up to 160,000 copies by the end of the week. Beyoncé is already halfway to matching that total in just a few hours.
Beyoncé's last studio album 4 sold 310,000 units in its debut week back in July 2011
14th December 2013 20:08
Jay Z, Justin Timberlake earn multiple Grammy nominations
Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead the 2014 Grammy Awards nominees.
Nominations were announced on Friday (December 6) during a live concert special on CBS, hosted by LL Cool J from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
Jay Z has earned nine nominations in all, including nods for Best Rap Performance for his song 'Tom Ford' and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for his and Timberlake's 'Suit & Tie'.
9th December 2013 11:56
Dr Dre to release Beats Music streaming service in January
Dr Dre is to launch his Beats Music streaming service in January.
The rapper and entrepreneur will unveil his rival to Spotify in the New Year, with Trent Reznor as chief creative officer.
The project was first announced last year under the name Daisy, but it will be named under the Beats Music brand.
It will feature high-quality streams and specially curated music recommendations.
Last year, Reznor stated that the service will not use the algorithmically-derived recommendations of Spotify, but rather artist-curated playlists and suggestions.
"It's like having your own guy when you go into the record store, who knows what you like but can also point you down some paths you wouldn't necessarily have encountered," said Reznor.
Users can now register their preferred username with the new service, CEO Ian Rogers said.
"We're providing a few artists and other influencers access to familiarise them with the service and get their early feedback," he said.
The company has reportedly enlisted the services of several freelancers to compile thousands of playlists ahead of the platform's launch.
Playlists are said to be around 70 minutes long, and based around specific artists, genres, times of year, activities and moods.
Beats Electronics is renowned for its audio equipment, such as the Beats by Dr Dre headphones range, which HTC owns a 25% stake in.
5th December 2013 17:52
Nick Cannon on Kanye West: 'Real geniuses don't have to brag'
Nick Cannon has taken issue with Kanye West referring to himself as a "genius".
West made headlines earlier in November by insisting that the term "genius" is his official job "title".
His comments led to America's Got Talent host Cannon having a "rant" on Twitter over West's boastfulness.
"love @KanyeWest like a brother & been one of his biggest fans & friends since day 1, but Genius is eternal patience," he wrote.
Cannon went on to say: "@KanyeWest Real geniuses don't have to tell everyone that they are a genius."
The presenter later returned to Twitter to downplay his initial messages.
"Maybe I should've just called him and told him that in private. Oops, my bad! Twitter-stream-of-consciousness LOL," he tweeted.
2nd December 2013 18:08
Kanye West planning to release 'Yeezus' follow-up 'by next summer'
Kanye West has revealed that he hopes to release his next studio album "by next summer".
The rapper confirmed that he has already started work on the record, although he is yet to devise a title for the project.
West told Philadelphia's Power 99 Radio: "I haven't named my next album but I have started on it. I'd like to put out more product."
The record will serve as the follow-up to his sixth studio LP Yeezus, which topped the charts in both the US and the UK on its release earlier this year.
Yeezus producer Rick Rubin previously suggested that West may release a Yeezus sequel, while West himself suggested that he may debut a repackaged version of the album before the end of 2013.
28th November 2013 17:51
Chris Brown’s Mother Blames Her Son’s Issues On His “Scumbag” Friends!
Chris Brown has fallen off of the edge! No parent/child relationship is perfect, but when you start taking shots are your mother, you’ve had it. Brown’s mom, Joyce Hawkins blames his behavior on his, “scumbag, disrespectful friends,” TMZ was told via a source close to the two.
22nd November 2013 18:19
R Kelly reveals new album 'Black Panties'
R Kelly has released the artwork and tracklisting for his new album Black Panties.
The singer's 13th album - out December 8 in the UK and December 10 in the US - features 13 tracks on the standard edition and 17 songs on the deluxe version.
Guest features on the collection include Kelly Rowland on 'All The Way', 2 Chainz on 'My Story' and Ludacris on 'Legs Shakin'.
Other track titles on the set are 'Marry The P***y', 'Crazy Sex', 'Show Ya P***y' as well as the singles 'My Story', 'Genius' and 'Cookie'.
The 46-year-old tweeted: "#BlackPanties have officially begun dropping! Get your exclusive bundle with a download of 'Lights On'."
20th November 2013 19:21
'Feel This Moment' rapper Pitbull to launch namesake fragrance
Pitbull has revealed that he is debuting his own fragrance for men and women.
Titled Pitbull, the fragrances will be unveiled during the rapper's New Year's Eve concert at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, reports WWD.
When asked why he created a fragrance for each gender in his first venture, Pitbull replied: "When we started talking about it, it was about very sexy smells. The woman can wear the men's cologne and the man can wear the women's perfume."
He added: "I love to mix them up and see what kind of people you attract off of them."
The 'Feel This Moment' rapper has limited editions of the fragrance in the works with names inspired by cities around the world.
Pitbull Miami is scheduled for 2015, while Pitbull Rio is planned for a 2016 launch and Pitbull London and Pitbull Berlin "are on the drawing board".
18th November 2013 18:16
R Kelly confirms Justin Bieber duet: "It's hot"
R Kelly has confirmed speculation that he has collaborated with Justin Bieber on a new track.
The singers have teamed up for a new song, which is expected to be released as part of Bieber's current #MusicMondays campaign.
"I just did a song [with him]," R Kelly told Vibe magazine at a listening party for his upcoming album. "[Justin] just called me to do a song, and it's hot.
"He wanted to go and do some R&B stuff, so we got together and did that."
14th November 2013 18:09
Timbaland offers production masterclass for £250
Timbaland has announced plans for a series of production masterclasses.
The super-producer has teamed up with The Guardian to offer aspiring producers, professionals and fans the chance to hear him deconstruct some of his greatest hits.
Timbaland has crafted hits for the likes of Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake, Jay Z and Missy Elliott.
The masterclasses are priced at £249 and include a three-hour-long class, a Q&A session, complimentary champagne and an exclusive goodie bag.
A VIP ticket is priced at £349 and includes a meet and greet with Timbaland, as well as extras in the goodie bag.
The masterclasses will take place in Studio A at London's famous Metropolis Studios on January 25 and 26.
12th November 2013 17:58
Rihanna claims 25th Top 10 in US, matches Elvis Presley ranking
Rihanna has claimed her 25th Top 10 hit in the US.
The singer's collaboration with Eminem, 'The Monster', climbed to number three on this week's Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking the star's new career milestone.
Having appeared 25 times in the Hot 100 Top 10, Rihanna has matched Elvis Presley's ranking at number eight on the all-time list of acts with the most Top 10s, reports Billboard.
Madonna still leads the list having claimed 38 Top 10 hits in the US throughout her career, while The Beatles are at two (34) and Michael Jackson is at three (28).
However, Rihanna has broken a record previously set by Madonna for the fastest female artist to reach the milestone.
Rihanna has notched up 25 Top 10 hits on the Hot 100 in eight years and four months since her first placing with 'Pon De Replay' back in 2005.
Madonna amassed 25 Top 10s in eight years and seven months, from 1984's 'Borderline' to 1993's 'Deeper and Deeper'.
9th November 2013 11:20
Nicki Minaj confirms new album for 2014 release: 'It's next level'
Nicki Minaj has confirmed that she plans to release a new album next year.
The rapper teased details of the LP during a gig with New York radio station Power 105.1.
"I've already started... 2014 definitely!" she told the station ahead of her Powerhouse 2013 performance at the Barclays Centre.
"It's very different from anything I've done, which I'm surprised about," she added. "I'm not feeling like I did this. I feel like this is next level."
4th November 2013 21:13
